Urthudar's Studies
The Void There are many interpretations of the Void and its properties. There are those who view it as an all-consuming force that can destroy Azeroth. There are some who consider it to be a realm in which wicked souls are tormented for eternity. Others see it as what a man can twist and use as "shadow magic". Fools. The Void is not what a warlock casually calls "shadow magic". Any warlock that does is an amateur and an idiot. I will be willing to elaborate on this later. The Void can be seen in two of the ways listed above. Indeed, it can be considered as a "realm", one of nothing but darkness, presumably punishment for mortal souls that have committed heinous crimes in their time. This has been studied in the past, and even experienced by one Sylvanas Windrunner, if I am correct. All of the studies theorized to this void's existence, and Windrunner has ascertained its existence. This is one of the more common associations of the term of "Void". The other accurate view of the Void is one that relates to Void magic, Void energies, and further on. These include the use of Void magic, and the existence of creatures of the Void's origin, including the legendary Void Gods, which I am studying continuously. However, I digress, so allow me to explain. The energies of the Void have, according to my research, a relationship with the Light-loving Naaru. Amusingly enough, when a Naaru is weakened and gravely injured, they begin to exude Void energies. From this, true Void magic can be drawn. I have also noticed the existence of Void-related creatures, most commonly in the forms of "Voidwalkers". I have no doubt that Voidwalkers exist as a form of the Void's entities. However, what is also amusing is that these Voidwalkers are likely the very lowest of the branch of the Void's creatures to be used or exploited. I maintain my own Voidwalker solely for basic research, and this is no feat of any note. Any spellcaster who deems himself great for the use of a Voidwalker is fooling themselves. The greatest of the Void's entities to be discovered thus far are the Void Gods, immense beings of Void energies that are formed from a dying Naaru. This is the result is the ironic twist of a Naaru becoming a dark being of enormous destructive power. So much for their saintly nature, I suppose. Just below the Void Gods are Void Lords, a higher form of Voidwalker that holds much greater power. Warlocks are not beyond being seen with such creatures, but again, these are pitiful examples of power. The Void Lords any mortal warlocks on Azeroth command for the Alliance or the Horde are minute in comparison to the size of a true Void Lord, and are obvious indicators of a weaker Void Lord. In a released form, free from subjugation from the minimal minds of warlocks, Void Lords are quite powerful. One subject, known as "Zuramat the Obliterator" could've been enough to give even Malygos, the former Aspect of Magic itself, a pause. Research has also been able to determine that the homeworld of the Ethereals - unnamed due to lack of information - was no doubt eradicated by Voidwalkers led by a Void Lord. I can also recall my accidental - a shameful term for myself - summoning of a Void Lord in the Blasted Lands, a summoning that resulted in widespread destruction and took both my allies and enemies to defeat. Truly, a wondrous creature of power. However, the Void can no doubt expand beyond what it is now. I have begun working with an experimental subject to determine the extensive properties of Void magic and improve upon it. It is quite possible that this may lead to the creation of a powerful entity, beyond that of what any has experienced thus far. The Void as a Realm As stated above, the Void can also be considered as a realm of sorts. What is this realm, though? I do not truly know. No one truly can, unless one is subject to the apparent miracle of venturing to the Void, only to return. All I can base upon is what I learned of research of my own, alongside the findings of Avoren Söcretha. If we'd like to know what the Void entails, perhaps one might consider resurrecting Arthas. I supppse he has a good idea. Darkness As I stated above, the Void is not what some call the idea of shadow magic. Such a blunt term, so inaccurate and so basic, belongs elsewhere. You see, the magic of darkness is not necessarily drawn from the sources that Void magic is, but more from oneself. It is a product of inner pride and selfishness. Rather than assuming one's power of the darkness is drawn from an external source like Void magic, I speculate that darkness comes from what it is: darkness, of one's own heart. Anyone can practice darkness as a magic. The most basic of warlocks can accomplish this, and it's all because of the above properties. Does one ever wonder why there are no good warlocks? No warlock holds good intentions, it simply doesn't exist. The only reason a warlock serves a king is to serve himself. The only reason a warlock will bow to the warchief is because he knows the warchief will soon reward him. Warlocks operate under selfishness and with a desire for power. That's why any warlock can master darkness and its powers. Darkness is born from inner pride, selfishness, desire for power, and many other things your local paladin will try to exorcise. It should not be seen as something drawn from an external source, simply because it really isn't. If it was, every novice warlock would no doubt be dying from lack of mana because of how difficult summoning that shadow magic would be. Building on this, shadow magic is arguably one of the least costly methods of magic, aside from the magic of the Light. As it is built upon one's own nature and self, it will likely cost little to nothing in regards to a cost of mana. Now, whether or not it is truly effective hinges on one's ability to master their own darkness for their own purposes. Controlling the Void A novice warlock may no doubt think themselves to be amazing and powerful, to control a Voidwalker of their very own. However, an attentive reader may have noticed that this is a meaningless feat, if such a term can be applied. In truth, even the most experienced of warlocks cannot summon something truly powerful from the Void. They can summon minute versions of Voidlords, but these are but fractions of what they could possibly be. Voidwalkers are like footsoldiers, but when a mortal summons them, they have become absolutely nothing and have no value aside from distracting that fool who actually perceives it as a threat. However, there are ways the Void can actually have a substantial level of power. For example, an alternate version of the Shadowmoon Clan has been utilizing what they call the "Dark Star". I have noted that the Shadowmoon, for being such a shamanistic clan in origin and having Ner'zhul forbid the use of the Dark Star (something I am at least familiar with), are utilizing Void magic somewhat well. For having only about two years to practice the art, they have enough mastery to summon advanced Void creatures. Impressive. At least, that's what I would say, if they didn't have the Dark Star. The Dark Star is, without a doubt, a darkened Naaru. I received a detailed report of this Dark Star and was curious at the familiar nature of it to the experimental subject, S'era. In that curiosity, I traveled there to investigate myself. The amount of Void energies I detected were an immediate indicator of the Naaru's existence. It's this that begs the question of just where this Naaru went, as my next arrival found that the Naaru was no longer present. That, however, is but an anecdote, one that can be elaborated later on when there are children for me to tell bedtime stories to, not that such stories would help them sleep. Voidwalkers, Ner'zhul, and idiots. Oh my. What's important about this, then? Well, consider the time in which the Shadowmoon Orcs learn Void magic, the source they're using, and the comparison of that to today, in our timeline. The Shadowmoon Orcs have about two years of understanding under their belt, hardly enough to time to be summoned advanced levels of Void magic, especially Void wraiths. This is due to the darkened Naaru they're using. The Void energies exuded by a darkened Naaru are exponentially greater than anything a mortal warlock can control on his own. So, the Shadowmoon Orcs can utilize that to their magical advantage. The only thing that gives way to their lack of understanding is the limited amount of Void magic that they do wield. There would, otherwise, be no possible way for these Orcs to suddenly convert from shamanism to this level of Void. In that comparison, I call to mind the Void Horde, in which warlocks are utilizing S'era in their Void magic to an extraordinary extent. I'm not inclined to describe those at the moment, though, as these results are rather confidential at the moment. I could debate further, but I maintain my argument that the main source of controlling the Void lies in the Naaru. Control the Naaru, you control the Void. It's as simple as that. Still, I'm curious as to why a Naaru can become so dark and powerful in death. Perhaps I'll research that myself. Twilight Magic So, the other day, as I drank some delicious tea in my first morning following my return to Azeroth - a fine taste from my comrade, I'll need to get whatever knowledge I can on this tea - I decided to gloss over some of the recent occurences of Azeroth and developments of my rivals when one of my researchers I sent out to investigate returned with what were supposedly revised "laws of Dalaran", as if the city ever had any from the start. I noticed that "Twilight Magic" was referred to as a forbidden school of magic, the term being reserved for the powers of the Old Gods. I believe it was from there that I spat my tea onto the papers and sent them ablaze. Damn Dalaran for costing me my tea. You magi just have to be so idiotic that you even cause me to spill my lovely drinks with your ineptitude. Please manage to set yourselves ablaze with an entry-level fireball. Putting aside the detailed narrative, what exactly is Twilight magic? What could warrant a section on this apparently existing school of magic other than my spilling of tea, or the ever continuous idiocy of Dalaran? Firstly, let me clarify that Twilight does not ever refer to Old God magics. Just because the Twilight's Hammer was affiliated with them and used some Old God magic does ''not ''mean they are simply using what is to be dubbed as "Twilight" magic. To anyone who calls this Twilight magic, I suggest paying a visit to your nearest Twilight's Hammer outpost and asking them about the difference between Old God and Twilight magics. I'm sure they'd love to answer your question. Now that we know what Twilight magic isn't, let's move on to what it is. Really not much to put here. Twilight magic is a combined pairing of Holy magic and Shadow magic, Light and Darkness in a single individual's spectrum of power. This can actually be quite a difficult thing to attain, considering that these two magics hinge somewhat on one's inner self. Darkness relates to the pride and greed of one's self, while Light draws upon the goodness of one's soul. I can already see the cliché ideals being built around this, and the writers that press it on. While you're at it, be sure to write about a character who happens to be a paladin and a mage at the same time, with an incredibly powerful weapon, and happens to be born to one of the most powerful individuals in the world. I'm sure the world will just ''love ''that. I suppose the highlight of this topic would be how to attain this kind of magic. So, to achieve this magic, start by being not oriented in your alignment. Don't sit there and preach for the wellbeing and goodness of others. Don't scheme your way into gathering power. I believe that starting on the path of this power requires one to be utterly neutral in alignment, not good nor evil, merely guided by their instinct rather than their desire. To keep this balance of good and evil requires that neutrality in one's soul, which will allow an equal balance of one's ability to wield either school of magic. No pride to dispose of the Light. No goodness to overthrow the Darkness. In all honesty, this is a perfect level of personal power. If one is to not be reliant on the outside sources of Naaru, Old Gods, Ley Lines, and other things, this is the perfect level of ability an individual can reach. To have full control of both sides of the spectrum is to have a very wide array of power while many can only limit themselves to one lone side. This kind of power takes great effort to reach, but is likely unimaginable in the face of what others hold. I commend you, Dimae. The Light Few are unfamiliar with the concept of what is simply called the "Light". Religions are built around it, cathedrals named after it, and paladins and priests worldwide revere it as the greatest force that Azeroth may ever know of. People like me often take some time to laugh at just how idiotic these people are, and how ignorant they are of the truth. As frequently referenced above, Light is similar to Darkness. Light is born from one's self. In fact, just about anyone can wield the Light, just as anyone can wield the Darkness. How effectively it is used hinges on the individual using Light magic. Is it foolish to build a monolithic structure to commend your inner power? More of arrogant, if anything, but it is foolish to worship magic simply born of one's self. This is no phenomenon that cannot be explained; it is simply a manifest of power in the individual. Just as Avoren Söcretha was able to ascertain the existence of Arcanotons, so too can I ascertain the source of the Light. Well, not entirely, but if you ever wondered where the magic people use came from, you'll know. Some speculate that this has ties to the Naaru. Plausible, were it not for a certain thing that occurs to me, that being the fact that up until now, no one has needed to draw to draw power from a Naaru save the Blood Knights. A priest on Azeroth has never had to rely on the power of a Naaru to summon their spells. The Draenei do not rely on the Naaru alone. While they have deep connections to the Naaru, most Draenei have only been known to utilize one ability or power related to the Naaru, an ability many Draenei champions hold, regardless of power or position. I believe this is called the "Gift of the Naaru", the title implying that this isn't so much drawn from the Naaru each time it is cast, but more that it is a set blessing upon Draenei to utilize their power when needed. Additionally, the Naaru would easily be exhausted by feeding their power to every sentient being that can wield the Light. Among the millions of priests that exist, constantly drawing from the Light, the Naaru would've been left powerless and exhausted from all of these little mortals drawing from their power, like little parasites. Then again, the Naaru would die, so more for me, I suppose. As explanation for priests not using these beings, Naaru are not gods. You cannot claim their power from a planet separate from wherever they are. Just like Void magic is useless without a darkened Naaru, I speculate that to use magic based around the Naaru would be minimal in result without, well, a Naaru at your disposal. If I can't make countless Void Lords without a darkened Naaru, then you can't resurrect all of your allies without a healthy Naaru. So, to sum up: Light is a manifested magic from one's individual self. It does not stem from a deity, nor is it an unexplainable phenomenon from beyond the realm of mortality. Anyone can use the Light. Want to use it yourself? Do something nice to get on Greatfather Winter's "nice" list, see how that works out. Category:Documents Category:Magic Category:The Void